


and there you were

by laurenshappenstobemyhusband



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Meetings, Fluff, I really can't write anything without adding tsukkiyama, M/M, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, and kageyama is pining, its a problem, so very very hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 13:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21100280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurenshappenstobemyhusband/pseuds/laurenshappenstobemyhusband
Summary: Kageyama really needs to stop running into his adorable new deskmate. But anywhere he goes, there he is. Poofy orange hair, dopey grin, flashing eyes. Fate just became a lot more aggressive.





	and there you were

**Author's Note:**

> Was scrolling through writing prompts and there was one sorta about fate and it led to this. I have a driving test tomorrow but here I am, doing God's work. Somebody pay me in ice cream and/or love.

Fate and Kageyama had an interesting relationship.

On one hand, Fate introduced him to Oikawa, and the worst middle/high school experience he could imagine. Fate made his final exam in english mostly reading comprehension, leading him to fail miserably and more college rejections than he could count. And Fate made him late to university on his first day, killing his phone so he wouldn't wake up for his alarm.

On the other hand, Fate also sat him right next to Hinata Shouyo in his first lecture, and his second, and his third. Rather than start up a conversation, Kageyama took the time to observe him, since obviously Fate thought he was important.

Hinata's most striking feature was his eyes, by far. They were a light brown color, but when the sun hit them at a specific angle, they looked almost coppery. And they were always wide open, like he was seeing everything in the room for the first time. Kageyama couldn't remember a time when he had looked like that about anything.

His hair was also pretty extraordinary, in that it was bright, in your face, and refused to be tamed. Kageyama watched Hinata rake his fingers through it multiple times, but it didn't seem to do a thing. 

The last noticeable thing about Hinata was the fact that you couldn't find him sitting still for more than a second. At one point, Kageyama started counting how many times he would start tapping his foot, then stop self-consciously, then start up again. It was mesmerizing.

He could see that Hinata was curious about him too, looking at him out of the corner of his eye every so often. Maybe he was also getting a tap on the shoulder from Fate. Kageyama was intrigued at the notion that maybe it was Hinata's Fate bringing them together, and he was just a pawn in it. 

Still, he couldn't bring himself to talk. He was out of practice when it came to making conversation, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to, especially with someone as bright as Hinata. How do you converse with the sun without feeling dull in comparison?

But by the time their fourth lecture rolled around, Kageyama couldn't deny it anymore. If Fate wanted him to speak, then damn it, he would speak.

"Hey," he whispered loudly, making sure that the professor was preoccupied. 

Hinata spun around to him, sparks of light dancing in his irises. Kageyama would be worried that he was distracting him from taking notes, but thus far in the lecture, the only notes Hinata took were a couple reminding himself to drink more coffee before class. Kageyama could relate, with his own blank notebook staring him down from the table.

"Uh, hi," he said, a little confused, a little amused. "You're Kageyama, right? I heard your name at roll call."

"Yeah. It's weird how we've sat next to each other for the past three classes without talking," Kageyama said, making it up as he went along. The full strength of Hinata's attention was a little difficult to face down.

Luckily, Hinata didn't seem deterred by his awkwardness. "Yeah, I guess," he grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, I didn't notice until last class. I'm a little out of it today. I just moved into a new apartment last week, so I'm still unpacking. I had to sleep on the carpet, but it wasn't the worst place I've fallen asleep, if you can believe it."

Now that they had officially started talking, Kageyama could see that Hinata was an absolute chatterbox (not that he suspected otherwise). He asked Hinata a few questions about high school, moving, future plans, and he seemed more than happy to talk about himself. Kageyama was contented to listen to him chattering on, even if they got called out once or twice. If there was one thing Hinata wasn't, it was quiet.

Towards the end of the class, Hinata asked, "What about you? Do you dorm here?"

"No, I also have an apartment," Kageyama replied. "I moved in right when high school ended, so it's been a good couple of months for me. I also have a roommate, but he's an ass, so we don't talk much."

Hinata chuckled, trying to keep his voice down. "My roommate's moving in next week. He's pretty nice, from what I gathered over the phone, but a little quiet." Kageyama couldn't imagine Hinata living with anyone quiet, but he supposed he was quiet, and they got on pretty well.

When class was dismissed, they parted ways, exchanging phone numbers on the way.

"See ya tomorrow!" Hinata shouted over the din of the hallway, and Kageyama waved, saving his number to his phone. At least now when his mom called, he'd have something to report to her. One new friend. Better than the big fat zero he had in high school, that was for sure.

He biked to his apartment, stopping along the way to buy himself a rice cake, and made it there within twenty minutes. Parking his bike in the garage, he took the stairs to the third floor, where he knew Tsukishima would already be, reading something boring on the couch. Kageyama offered to split the cost of a TV with him, but he had replied, "TV rots your brain. And your brain doesn't need any more rotting, I can tell you that." That was argument number 18, if Kageyama remembered correctly, and they still didn't have a TV.

When he reached his floor, however, he was surprised to find the apartment across from his wide open, with boxes trailing all down the hall. Fate had just gotten started, and it wasn't going to lose its momentum. He almost wasn't surprised to see the back of Hinata's orange head. Almost.

"Kageyama! What're you doing here?" Hinata asked, sticking his head out from inside of the apartment. 

"I live here. Well, not here. There," he said, pointing to the apartment behind him. "What are the odds?"

"At this point? Really really small," Hinata offered, and Kageyama agreed.

"Do you need any help with those?" he asked, pointing to the boxes. Hinata hesitated, then nodded. 

"If you could, that'd be great. I'm doing pretty well, but... five foot five speaks for itself." 

They each picked up a box, lugging them to Hinata's apartment. 

"Set it down anywhere. I can organize them later," he said, shaking out his arms. Then they returned for the next set. 

"Jeez, how much stuff do you have?" Kageyama asked on box number 10.

"Sorry," Hinata said, trying to balance two at once. "My mom wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything, so she packed... all of it. I can get the rest myself, don't worry about it."

"No, it's alright," Kageyama conceded. "We're almost done, anyway. You owe me one, though."

"Ha! Sure thing," Hinata agreed, and they finished up in comfortable silence. Once all of the boxes were gone, Kageyama couldn't find any more reason to stay.

"So... see you tomorrow?" he said, almost missing the irony in the words. Unless Fate actually moved Hinata into his apartment, the words would remain true this time. 

"Definitely. There is no possible way I can see you before then," Hinata said with a smirk, and they both closed their doors with an audible click.

"That took long," Tsukishima said as soon as he turned around. "I didn't take you for the type who volunteers himself for grunt work. Isn't that more of a peasant thing to do?"

"Shut up," Kageyama said, remembering why he didn't want to go inside. "How's your book? Hopefully better than having a life, since that's what you're giving up."

"You wouldn't understand it. There aren't any pictures. Besides, what life do you have?"

Tsukishima took all of his classes at night for some odd reason, so Kageyama looked at the clock, counting down the hours until he'd be free of him. Four godforsaken hours. He wouldn't survive. 

"You know what? I'm going to the gym. Don't trash the place while I'm gone," he said, pushing himself to his feet. "And try not to sell any of my stuff, either."

"That was one time! And who needs a crystal vase? It was asking to be sold," Tsukishima called as Kageyama shut the door. "Bye, meathead." 

Kageyama didn't respond, having already put in his headphones. Sometimes he preferred Tsukishima's jabs over the silence he endured every evening, but after a whole day of listening to Hinata's bubbliness, it grated at him. He off-handedly thought about asking if Hinata wanted to switch roommates, then shook his head. Too soon.

His gym was pretty close by, so he walked the whole way there, bobbing his head slightly to the music. He flashed his card to the person at the front desk, then went straight to the punching bags. He didn't have any cut outs of Tsukishima's face available, but his imagination was up to task. He strapped on the bandages, turned on his angry music playlist, and began to punch.

Some time later, he wasn't sure how long, Fate decided to give him a nudge. And when he looked up, he saw a familiar redhead sprinting away on the treadmill. Hell, he hadn't even seen him.

This is too weird, he thought to himself. I shouldn't even approach him. I'll pretend I didn't see him, and if he does see me, then I'll deal with it then. And yet his feet started moving towards him automatically, as if on autopilot. 

Hinata didn't have headphones in, so it only took a well timed "Hey," to get his attention. He quickly pressed the pause button, panting a little as he looked over, then looked over again.

"Are you following me?" he asked, as if that was the most rational conclusion.

"Of course not!" Kageyama responded, way too defensively considering he actually had been there first. He took out his membership card, pointing to the join date. "I've been going here for months. The real question is, are _you _following _me_?"

He didn't actually think Hinata followed him all the way to the gym, but it was enough to direct the focus away from him.

"No way! This is just the closest gym there is to my apartment. Well, both of our apartments, I guess," he concurred. "So this is just..."

"Another coincidence," Kageyama finished, shaking his head and looking up. Whatever Fate was planning, it was going to be big.

"So you're a boxer," Hinata noticed, pointing out his wrapped hands. "Do you do any professional stuff?"

"No, this is just for stress relief," he responded, unwrapping them instantly. He didn't have any tension inside of him anymore anyway. "Are you a runner?"

"Well, I did do track in high school," he said, smiling with a bit of pride. "I was the fastest one there."

Hinata didn't know Kageyama well enough to know what a challenge meant to him, but he was about to find out. Kageyama threw his bandages to the side, taking the treadmill next to Hinata. He looked over at his speed, matching it on his own.

"Really? Prove it," he said, and just like that, Hinata's own competitive spirit was awakened. He upped his speed an extra mile per hour, grinning to himself.

"You're on. We'll start on three. One, two, three!" 

Both guys started running as fast as they could. Each time one of them grew faster, the other would up their speed, making it even again. They reached a point where neither of them could go any faster, and then it was a game of endurance. First to fall, lost. And with no stakes given, it was still the most intense either of them ever trained.

"Tired?" Kageyama coughed out, not taking his attention away from his dashboard. 

"Nope!" Hinata responded in one breath. "You?"

"Nope."

They stuck to monosyllables, not wanting to waste breath. Still, someone had to tire eventually, and it was Kageyama who finally slammed the pause button, crumpling to the floor in an exhausted heap. Hinata followed a second later, rolling beside him.

"Ha! I win," he got out, chest heaving.

"I'll get... next time," Kageyama spluttered, pouring some of his water on his head. "For now... I'm done."

"Same. Wanna... walk home... together?" Hinata asked, and Kageyama nodded. Neither of them moved until the manager of the gym herself went to check on them.

"You boys good?" she asked, and they both said yes, getting to their feet. They thanked her and left the gym, still panting a little. 

"I haven't run like that in a while," Hinata said after a bit. "You're pretty fast,even if you're not faster than me."

"I was having an off day," Kageyama replied. "Next time I'll go double your speed."

"I'll hold you to that." Neither of them had the energy to walk and talk at the same time, so the rest of their walk was only punctuated by the occasional deep breath, followed by a quick exhale. Kageyama knew he'd be sore as hell in the morning, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Even remembering that he left his bandages in the gym only caused a twinge of annoyance, lasting but a second. He chalked it up to the exhaustion overtaking his brain, but he knew it was something more. Fate had a plan for him, and it infused his every bone.

Once they reached the apartment, Hinata turned to Kageyama once more.

"See you... later, I guess" he said, laughing at the absurdity of his words.

"I already planned to eat dinner at the pizza place around the corner. If you're there, I'm gonna assume you're following me," Kageyama said, half-jokingly. Then Hinata's face colored, and he had the impression that he'd said the wrong thing. "What?"

Hinata mumbled something under his breath. When Kageyama asked him to speak up, he said in a rush, "I-kinda-work-there-part-time. I started a few days ago, I promise."

"You're not subtle," Kageyama said under his breath, but he wasn't talking to Hinata. In his mind, Fate was now personified, and a pretty persistent person at that. What could he do? He wasn't going to stop going to his favorite pizza place just because Hinata happened to work there.

"I believe you," he said instead. "See you soon, I suppose."

"Yeah. Soon," Hinata said, and they both closed their doors, trying to fight off the residual awkwardness. It worked, kinda.

"Back already?" Tsukishima asked, and Kageyama didn't have the patience to respond. He went straight to his room, shutting the door tightly behind him and sinking into the carpet. It was time for a little self introspection.

Sure, he was a little spooked at how deeply intertwined Hinata was becoming in his life, and rapidly at that, but it wasn't an altogether bad thing. It had been a while since he ate dinner with anyone (besides the occasional takeout he and Tsukishima ate in silence) and he was intrigued to see how all of this would turn out. 

He rolled over and pulled out his phone, half poised to text Hinata, just to make sure that he knew Kageyama wasn't weirded out. But he stopped halfway, shaking his head. He'd see him in a bit, if he didn't bump into him even sooner than that. He could just tell him then. In the meantime, Kageyama would nap. Most of his days didn't constitute half of the excitement of this one.

True to his word, Hinata was working the counter when Kageyama showed up an hour later, and he brightened up when he saw him, chuckling a little to himself. Beside him, his coworker with a shaved head was eyeing him suspiciously.

"This is the one you kept bumping into all day, Hinata?" he asked, peering over the counter. Kageyama tried not to be intimidated; why should he be? All he did was show up to the counter and prepare to order.

"Don't be rude, Tanaka," another voice said from the back. Both Hinata and this Tanaka guy turned around to find a third guy standing there,, arms cross over his chest.

"Sorry, Daichi," Tanaka said, sulking a little. 

"Hinata, you take this customer's order. In the meantime, Tanaka, you can sweep the back."

"Sweeping? Oh hell no!"

"I hear the bathroom's always need cleaning..."

"Sweeping it is, boss man!"

Throughout this whole exchange, Hinata was sticking to the back, avoiding eye contact with Kageyama. But when Tanaka left to the back to sweep, muttering to himself, he had no choice but to step forward to take his order.

"Sorry about Tanaka, he likes to act like a gangster to people he doesn't know," Hinata rambled, taking out a notepad. "Did basically the same thing when I started working here. So, what're you having?"

"Uh, one onion slice, one mushroom slice, and one small fries," Kageyama said, still a little disoriented. 

"To stay or to go?"

Kageyama thought about it, then asked, "Depends. When's your shift over?"

Hinata's face bloomed red. "Me? Um, not for another hour. Why?"

Kageyama was also growing a little flustered. "I was just gonna ask if you wanted to eat with me. No big deal, though. I'll take them to go."

Just then, Daichi stuck his head out from the back. "It's a slow night, Hinata. You can take off early, if you want." He looked like he wanted to say more, judging by the way he was looking back and forth between them, but in the end just punctuated it with a smile.

"Really? Thank you, sir," Hinata exclaimed, putting Kageyama's pizza in the over. "So you'll take it to stay, then?"

"Yeah, I guess I will."

Hinata brought four slices for himself to the table, prompting Kageyama to ask where all the nutrients go, if not into height. It's all good-natured, though and he found himself enjoying himself more and more. 

"So," he started, taking a bite of his crust. "You were telling your coworkers about me?"

This brings a whole new round of blushing on Hinata's part. "Well, yeah, I mean, isn't it weird how we keep seeing each other everywhere? This is like the tenth time today."

"Fourth," Kageyama corrects, but he gets his point. If he had anyone to tell, he'd probably give them the whole story, too. "Guess it's fate, right?"

He didn't think his remark was so out there, but Hinata's face turned even darker, if possible.

"You're a weirdo," he finally said, and Kageyama rolled with it. He could call it whatever he wanted to. Freak coincidence, some sort of weird karma. It didn't change the fact that somebody powerful wanted them to be together, and so they were.

When they walked back to the apartment, they didn't even pause.

"See you in like five minutes, probably," Kageyama said, and Hinata laughed.

"Yeah. See you."

Contrary to that statement, they didn't see each other until the next day, when they left their apartments at the same time to go to class.

"Walk together?" Hinata offered, and Kageyama agreed. The dim mornings didn't seem nearly as dark with him prattling on next to him.

They continued their days much like the one before, sitting next to each other and whispering in class every so often. Neither of them got good enough grades to afford not to pay attention, and yet if Hinata saw something funny, he didn't hesitate to point it out to Kageyama, covering his mouth with his hand to silence his giggles. And every so often, Kageyama would whisper back. The people surrounding them probably got pissed off, but neither of them paid them any mind.

Then after classes they went to the gym. Kageyama began going straight to the treadmill when he walked in, and they raced each time, running for probably twenty minutes straight before one of them collapsed. Sometimes it was Kageyama, and sometimes it was Hinata, but they were pretty evenly matched.

The loser paid for pizza, which Kageyama was _definitely _eating too much of. Still, Hinata's boss let him take off early every so often, and even when he didn't, Kageyama would just wait at the table for Hinata to finish his shift. They could talk over the counter either way, and it was better than sitting at home alone, or worse, with just Tsukishima. 

After all of the excitement of the day, they were both content to walk back to their apartments in silence, with just Hinata's occasional humming or Kageyama's whistling to pierce the air. After that, Kageyama would simply retire to his room, scrolling through his phone, and occasionally texting Hinata. They both knew that they were just a room away, and yet they found it much easier to talk over the hone when they were both too exhausted to move.

A few weeks passed, and with their first test coming up in english, it was clear that neither of them would survive their talking in class. Hinata's notes were incomprehensible, and when Kageyama remembered to take them at all, his were no better. 

"This is useless," Kageyama said, pushing his notebook to the side. They were in his apartment, attempting to study, although it was clear neither of them could help the other. "We might as well just go to sleep. It's getting pretty late, anyway."

"Doesn't your roommate go to that really smart college in the city?" Hinata asked, desperateness creeping into his voice. "How about we ask him to tutor us?"

Kageyama couldn't hold back a snort. "Tsukishima? He wouldn't tutor us for a million bucks. And if he did, it wouldn't be worth the stab to our egos. He does his best to make me feel dumb every chance he gets, and I don't even talk to him much."

"Still, he might be our only chance to pass. You know, passing? Getting our degrees? Graduating?"

"Yeah, I got it. Let's see if we can get through the material before he gets home, though."

Of course they didn't. Halfway through trying to decipher Hinata's notes, he collapsed on the ground and said that his brain was broken, and that his TV was set up across the hall. So by the time Tsukishima got home, they were halfway through an episode of an old sitcom, and Kageyama was open to anything that might help them study. 

He tiptoed back to his apartment, telling Hinata to wait just in case it went awry. "Tsukishima? Are you available? I have a question to ask of you."

"The king requests my presence? Well then I must oblige, right?" Tsukishima said loftily from the armchair. Kageyama swore, ONE CRYSTAL VASE and suddenly Tsukishima was all over the royalty jokes. But he couldn't snap at him now.

"Can you tutor me and Hinata?" he mumbled, staring at the ground.

"Hinata... is that the redhead you're always following everywhere?"

"I don't follow him, it just so happens- Ugh, I can't explain it now. So can you tutor us?"

Tsukishima looked like he was considering it, but ultimately he shrugged. "Is there a magic word you want to throw in there? It rhymes with sneeze, in case I wasn't being clear enough. I can never tell what passes through your thick skull..."

"_Please _tutor us," Kageyama said through gritted teeth, and Tsukishima grinned.

"Why didn't you say so? You can tell Shorty we'll start tomorrow at five. Although if he's as much of a dumbass as you are, we might need to begin earlier." He scanned Kageyama's face, sighing. "Three it is, so right after you finish classes. You can skip your weird gym thing for a day."

"Hey! How do you know about that?"

"I have ears. You guys are all like 'I'm gonna beat you tomorrow,' and 'You're getting faster, but not fast enough'." He sniffed. "Overly enthusiastic people gross me out, so try to keep that to a minimum while I'm helping you out."

"Got it. Thank you," Kageyama said quickly, and ran across the hall to tell Hinata the good news. Or at least, the hopefully decent news.

Tsukishima wasn't lying when he said that he intended to start as soon as they finished classes. When they walked into his apartment, Hinata still humming to himself, they found Tsukishima already sitting at the table, two worksheets set out in front of him.

"Your professor posted the syllabus and what's going to be on the test on the class page on your college's site, which is public, so I looked through it and found a couple of worksheets on the topics. It's easy stuff, not that I don't doubt you guys can screw it up, but it's not unteachable. Start with these two, and I'll check 'em over when you're done."

Hinata gave Kageyama a look that seemed very much like an "I told you so." Kageyama smacked him on the back of the head.

"Thanks, Tsukishima!" he crowed, grabbing one of the worksheets. Tsukishima glared at him, which was ridiculous, since no one glared at Hinata.

"Keep it down, Pipsqueak," he said, propping his feet up on the table. "I'm going to try and read while you two wrestle through that. If you want to have any rage-fueled manic breakdowns at any point, have them outside."

"Now I see what you mean when you said he's a jackass," Hinata whispered, definitely loud enough for Tsukishima to hear, and Kageyama choked back a laugh. 

"Get started, numbskulls," Tsukishima growled, and they both picked up a pen and started writing.

  
By the third worksheet, Hinata was at the end of his patience, and so was Tsukishima. Kageyama had dissociated for so long, he couldn't even see the letters anymore.

"You did _five sentences,_" Tsukishima said, exasperated. "It's the same trick for each of them. _You just do the same things over and over. _What isn't there to get?"

"I forgot what the trick was!" Hinata exclaimed, just as exasperated. "Can you point it out again?"

"This is the fifth time! Maybe I should tattoo it on the inside of your eyelids. That way next time you fall asleep while I'm explaining it, you'll actually be more productive than when you're awake. Kageyama, are you even conscious?"

"I think so," he said dully, lifting his head from where he was laying it on the paper. "Is it time for the next sheet?"

"How can it be time for the next sheet _if you didn't do this one????"_

"Huh. Good point."

Just when it was starting to seem like Tsukishima would snap and start smashing things, they heard a knock at the door. Tsukishima sent the pair a glare, standing to his feet to answer it.

"If that's another dumbass friend I have to tutor..." he said, slicing a finger across his throat. Hinata nodded, genuinely not knowing who was at the door. He didn't _think _he invited anyone else, but his mind was all over the place. For all he knew, he planned a study party at Kageyama's place and promptly forgot about it.

"Alright, what do you want?" Tsukishima asked, opening the door. Before him stood a tall guy with freckles, looking embarrassed to be standing there. Tsukishima evidently didn't know what to make of him, judging by his scrutinizing eyes.

"Um, I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hinata's roommate," he said quickly, keeping his hand on the back of his neck. "I just heard yelling and wanted to make sure he wasn't in trouble or anything."

"Hi Yamaguchi!" Hinata shouted from his side of the room, and even Kageyama looked up. So this was the elusive roommate Hinata had told him about. He mentioned him moving in a week or two prior, but Kageyama hadn't seen him til this moment.

"If by trouble you mean definitely going to fail English, then yeah, he's in trouble," Tsukishima said, rolling his eyes. "He's got the memory capacity of a slice of pecan pie."

Tadashi chuckled at that, and Tsukishima was surprised for the first time during the whole exchange. Normally this would be when someone would call him out on being rude, or just stare uncomfortably. Tsukishima's humor was an acquired taste that no one had yet acquired.

"Sorry to hear that," he said, still grinning. "I can try and help you tutor them, if you want. I _am _an English major."

"Knock yourself out," Tsukishima said finally, after a bit of deliberation. "If you can get Kageyama to remember one vocabulary word, you'll have succeeded more than I have."

Yamaguchi followed him into the apartment, and the studying session lightened up a little bit. Yamaguchi was patient with them when Tsukishima never was, and with their good cop/bad cop routine, they managed to drill the information into both of their heads, just enough that they were sure they would pass. Not to mention that Yamaguchi continued to laugh at Tsukishima's mocking jokes, which put him in an infinitely better mood.

"See ya later, Kageyama," Hinata said when they packed up, following Yamaguchi out of the apartment. "Maybe when we're done studying for English, we can study for science together."

"I sure hope we don't," Tsukishima said, leaning back in his armchair, but he had a pleased air around him, which definitely couldn't be chalked up to Kageyama learning his vocabulary words.

"Why're you so upbeat?" Kageyama asked, squinting at him. "It's freaking me out."

"What, does the King not allow his subjects to feel satisfaction once in a while?" he asked, but his smirk never wavered. "I'm glad we got that over with. Even if I do have to help you guys again tomorrow."

The next day's studying went heaps better than the one before. Kageyama had never seen Tsukishima hanging out with his friends - assuming he had any, which was doubtful - but he supposed it would be a lot like how he interacted with Yamaguchi. He never made fun of him directly, and whenever he made a comment about Hinata or Kageyama's intelligence - which was often - he would always look over to see if Yamaguchi laughed.

Then one time, Yamaguchi made the mistake of calling him Tsukki.

"Tsukishima doesn't let anyone call him that," Kageyama explained when Tsukishima froze up. "The one time I tried, he threw a plate at me."

"Whatever," Tsukishima said, apparently recovering. "It's not a big deal if you call me that."

"But the plate!"

"See, my _friends _are allowed to call me that. If we ever become friends - which is growing less and less likely by the second - you can call me that too."

Hinata looked back and forth between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who was glowing with pride at being called Tsukishima's friend, but didn't say anything. They went back to studying, but Kageyama could've sworn that every time Yamaguchi called him Tsukki, his ears turned red. 

Contrary to what Tsukishima said the day before, studying together turned into a kind of routine whenever they had a test coming up. Hinata and Kageyama paid them for it in snacks and instant ramen, but later on they found they might not have needed to. Indeed, sometimes Yamaguchi was in their apartment before they even got back from classes.

One time, Hinata pulled Kageyama aside before they walked in, listening by the door.

"Yamaguchi's already there," he said, but that didn't explain why he didn't want to go in just yet. At Kageyama's blank stare, he said, "_You know, _they're having some alone time."

"Alone time? Why? They don't need to study," Kageyama said, forehead crinkled. "Besides, Yamaguchi said he knew a trick for memorizing the math equations. I want to ask him while Tsukishima's still in an okay mood."

Hinata waited for him to get the point, but when it was obvious he wouldn't, he whispered, "I think they like each other."

Kageyama's face instantly flamed up. "What? No. That's ridiculous."

"It's true! I mean, _we're _friends with Tsukishima - and don't deny it, he wouldn't tutor us if we weren't - but he only lets Yamaguchi called him Tsukki. _And _they're always whispering together while we're doing our work. _And _they're hanging out alone!"

In an even quieter voice, Hinata continued. "Yamaguchi already told me he likes Tsukishima. He doesn't want to confess, though, because he doesn't want to ruin their relationship. I keep trying to convince him it'll be fine, but maybe if we give them more time alone together, Tsukishima will confess first."

Kageyama nodded, starting to get it. Tsukishima didn't tell him a thing, of course, but that was to be expected. He couldn't deny that hanging out with Yamaguchi made him more tolerable, though.

"Fine," he whispered back. "We'll leave them alone for now. But then what are _we _supposed to do?"

"We can always hang out in my apartment," Hinata offered. "We still have a few days left to study, so we can give them today off."

Hinata's apartment had a TV, so Kageyama wasn't against it, although he only had the one armchair. When asked where Yamaguchi sat while they watched TV, Hinata shrugged and said he didn't watch. Kageyama was starting to see why he and Tsukishima were such a perfect match, and wondered why he didn't see the signs before.

Originally, Kageyama sat on a dining room chair he pulled to the living room, but eventually Hinata offered to share the chair with him. It was a bit of a tight fit, but the chair was comfortable, and Hinata was warm. Often times Kageyama would find himself falling asleep while they watched, even during the day, because it was like leaning against a space heater. 

That day, instead of sitting beside him, Hinata decided to sit on top of him.

"Hey!" Kageyama protested, trying to push him off. "What's that for?"

"It's more comfortable like this. You take up more of the chair anyway."

"It's not more comfortable for _me._"

"Yeah, but you just go to sleep anyway." He spread himself out, leaning his head back on Kageyama's chest, and he decided not to push him off after all. It wasn't that bad; like having a weird, warm, weighted blanket. And just to make a point, he didn't fall asleep that time, choosing instead to watch through the fluff of Hinata's flyaway hairs. 

"You smell like Hinata," Tsukishima commented when he came back a few hours later. Yamaguchi already left, but Tsukishima still had residual happiness left over, so it wasn't a mean comment. More like an observation.

"Yeah, I was at his apartment. And how do you know what Hinata smells like?"

Tsukishima shrugged. "He's over here like every day. You know he has a distinct smell."

And Kageyama did. Hinata smelled like sunshine, and cloves, and oranges, weirdly enough. And now, Kageyama did too.

Tsukishima didn't ask why they didn't show up for the tutoring session, but something told Kageyama that he didn't mind. And he even did the dishes to show his appreciation. Hinata was definitely onto something.

From then on, on days that Yamaguchi went over to his apartment and studying wasn't urgent, Kageyama would go to Hinata's apartment after the gym. Sometimes they watched TV - Hinata kept his spot on Kageyama's lap - and when Hinata had work, they went there together.

Sometimes, on days that Hinata didn't have to work, they went out anyway, going to frozen yogurt - Hinata's favorite - or to the curry place nearby - Kageyama's pick - and sat there for a while.

Hinata was a messy eater no matter where they went, and Kageyama began automatically grabbing a stack of napkins for their table, knowing it would be necessary. A lot of the time Hinata would miss a spot, and Kageyama would have to help him out, rolling his eyes as he did. He always protested, saying it made him feel like a baby, but Kageyama just thought it was cute.

Oh. Right.

Kageyama had always thought Hinata was cute, right from when he saw him sit beside him in their first class, but spending more time with him was messing with his head, because now he couldn't just brush the thought away. It was almost overpowering, the way his hair was always sticking out in every direction, or how he would jump in the air when he got a good test grade. It got to a point where Kageyama would have to avert his eyes, because Hinata's smiles were contagious and Kageyama didn't smile. At least, he didn't used to.

"How was your date?" Tsukishima asked one night when Kageyama got back from hanging out with Hinata. They had gone bowling, since Hinata said he never went. Neighter of them were really good, but Kageyama was slightly better, making him the winner of the night. Hinata called for a rematch, but it was getting pretty late, so they scheduled to go again the next day.

"Pretty good. I got a couple of strikes so-" Tsukishima's words caught up with him, and he felt his face heat up. "It wasn't a date. It was just Hinata."

"Mmhm. You might be the only one who thinks that."

"Hinata too. And besides, did you think we were dating this whole time?" 

"Not the whole time. Just the last month or so, since you keep throwing off studying to go out for food with him."

Kageyama was going to say that they were only doing that so he could be alone with Yamaguchi, and didn't he prefer it that way anyway, when something new caught his eye. He didn't know how he didn't notice the dark purple mark on Tsukishima's neck when he first walked in.

"What's that?" he asked, jabbing a finger at it, and Tsukishima's face colored. Still, he rose himself to his full height, looking annoyed and yet smug.

"It's a hickey. You've seen one before, right?"

Kageyama hadn't, not in real life, but he heard about them. He looked down at his feet, scowling. 

"Well where'd _you_ get it from?"

"The moon. Where do you think, dumbass?"

Kageyama wasn't as slow as people thought he was, and it only took a few seconds for him to catch on. "Ohhhhh so you _are _dating Yamaguchi."

"For a while now. You're really oblivious to the world around you, aren't you?" Tsukishima's face was still pink, but he was settling back into his normal self. "What did you think we were doing all of this time alone?"

Kageyama blanched, then turned red. "Don't make me imagine it," he said quickly, rushing into his room. From behind him, he could hear Tsukishima call, "Maybe you and Hinata could take some tips! It's obvious you can't manage on your own."

Tsukishima doesn't know a thing, Kageyama thought to himself as he laid down on his bed. He did know how to manage on his own. He just didn't think he would have the guts to go through with it.

He agonized over this for a good solid week before giving up. He was an awful liar. Even Hinata could see something was up.

"Should we date?" he asked over pizza, when it was Hinata's turn to pay. Just in case he wanted to leave.

Hinata, of course, choked on a bite and almost coughed out a lung. "What?"

"I asked-"

"No, I heard you. This is just the weirdest confession I've ever heard." His coughing turned to laughter, even though his face was five shades of red in its own right. "You're crazy, Bakageyama."

"Well that's not how someone responds to a confession either," Kageyama shot back, humiliation overshot by confusion. "What kind of an answer is that?"

"I mean, if we date, what'll be different?" Hinata asked, gesturing around them. "We're already basically on a date."

Kageyama didn't say that that was basically what Tsukishima said, not wanting to give him that credit. Besides, he could think of a few things, and they all made his face turn even redder. Hinata read his expression and suddenly it was like a new contest, who could blush darker. Both were pretty good contenders.

Finally, Hinata said, "I mean, yeah, we could date, if you want. You're not ugly."

"_You're not ugly?_"

"Well what do you want me to say? You're really freaking hot?"

"I mean yeah okay, you could've started with that. I'm the one who asked you, obviously I want to date."

"God, I'm getting second-hand awkwardness just standing here," Tanaka complained from the counter. "What do you think, Daichi?"

"I think they should get their heads out of their asses and date already," Daichi said bluntly, causing Tanaka to crack up and Kageyama to wish he had chosen a more private place.

"So... are we still on for the movies tomorrow?" Hinata asked, a hesitant grin on his face.

"Uh, yeah, don't see why not," Kageyama said, scratching his head. "But it's a date now."

"Does that mean I get to steal your popcorn?"

"You already do, dumbass."

"Does that mean you won't yell at me for it?"

"...maybe."

"Great! Dating is the best!"

"Quiet down, idiot!" 

Before the movie started, when they were already settled in their seats and Hinata finished half of their popcorn (no, Kageyama couldn't bring himself to yell at him, in case you were wondering), Kageyama had a sudden thought.

"Remember when I told you that us meeting each other a bunch was Fate?" he asked.

"Of course. It was the weirdest thing you ever said to me. How could I forget?" Hinata responded, but Kageyama could see him put a hand to the back of his neck, the way he did when he was embarrassed or flushed.

"So you don't believe it?" he asked, pondering it. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't think of Fate in one way or another. It was a part of his life, in a way, a minor god looking over him.

Hinata was quiet for a while, and Kageyama didn't think he was going to answer. But finally, right before the movie started, he said, "I didn't before, but I think I do now."

_I didn't before, but I think I do now. _Have more romantic words ever been spoken? All Kageyama knew was that he was in it for the long run. And somewhere far above him, Fate agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked, leave a comment and I'll embroider it onto a handkerchief
> 
> tumblr: laurenshappenstobemyhusband


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